Between Two Worlds: A Japanese Pilgrimage' was created by the American documentary makers, Joanne Hershfield and Susan Caperna Lloyd. In 1992 the two film makers headed out to the Japanese island of Shikoku just off the south coast of the main island to document an ancient Buddhist pilgrimage.
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Between Two Worlds - A Japanese Pilgrimage. Video hosted on Youtube. The pilgrimage known as the Shikoku Buddhist pilgrimage follows the path of enlightenment for Kobo Daish, a local Bodhisattva. In doing so pilgrims visit 88 temples and shrines located around the island, which can take up to two months to complete by foot. The film makers looked to document the modern pilgrimage, the pilgrims reason for participating in the journey and what they hoped to receive from the journey. Joanne and Susan also observe the effects of modern Japanese society on the pilgrimage.
For centuries, pilgrims have come to the Japanese island of Shikoku to trace the 1,000-mile route known as the "Pilgrimage to the 88 Sacred Places of Shikoku," a journey believed to have been first undertaken by Kobo Daishi, founder of Buddhism's Shingon sect in the ninth century. This illuminating documentary is a visual meditation on the phenomenon of pilgrimage and, to a lesser extent, on the processes of ethnographic filmmaking. It combines images of traditional and modern Japan, excerpts from the writings of Kobo Daishi, and commentary by pilgrims, everyday Japanese, and the filmmakers themselves to explore the meaning and persistence of "pilgrimage" in contemporary industrial Japan. By examining the effects that rapid change has had on this ritual journey, the film asks: Why do people still undertake pilgrimages to "sacred" places? This thought-provoking documentary will generate discussion in courses in Asian studies, Japanese studies, cultural anthropology, Buddhism, and comparative religion. It was produced by Joanne Hershfield and Susan Caperna Lloyd.
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